Battle of Gallagher City Part 2: Brooks Street and
by KosherGreenBean
Summary: In the second of five installments, our survivors are on a search for supplies as they get closer to Gallagher City.


_**Recap of Part 1**__: A terrible virus hit the big city of Gallagher City, causing a zombie apocalypse that consumed the neighboring town of Jackson Valley. Four survivors remain with the hope of getting to the top of one of the highest skyscrapers in Gallagher City for an air rescue. Avoiding death at Jackson Valley Elementary School, Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey plan their next move._

"We made it…I can't believe we made it!" exclaimed Louis as he jumped up and down. "It seems so easy now, like a repressed instinct that has come out to play!" Louis pointed his gun around the shed and began to make booming noises. Bill grabbed the front of Louis's gun.

"Watch where you're pointing that thing dumbass," Bill said, "Or _you're _going to kill us."

"Alright, we need to start thinking about this," said Zoey. She was feeling exhilarated about surviving the whole ordeal so far, but she was trying to keep her feelings in check. "Who knows this place well enough to lead us to another safe spot?"

"I've lived here long enough to know," said Bill. "There's a weapons shop a few blocks north from here and a gas station across the street from there. Those places should be good spots for supplies."

"How long have you been living here anyways?" asked Francis. "I mean, you're probably 120 at the least, right?" He started to laugh. Bill grabbed Francis's arm and twisted it around his back. Francis is a tough guy who is no stranger to fights, but Bill was hurting him quite badly.

"This place has been home to me for over 50 years but I've been other places doing things that even you would think twice about," Bill mumbled in his ear, "So if you want to live, I suggest you watch your goddamn mouth or there's goin to be problems." He let go.

Zoey stood against the wall. "So, Bill, where should we go?"

"First thing when we get out of this shed is we head for Brooks Street, then go down King Avenue," explained Bill. "That'll put us at the weapons shop."

"Sounds good to me!" said Louis. Francis nodded in agreement while rubbing his arm.

The door to the shed opened, and once again the survivors set foot into the outdoors where they had risked their lives. After a quick look around and a few bullets used on stragglers, the field was cleared. Except for one thing…

"That damn dog is still here!" exclaimed Francis. He stared at the dog with the look of hatred. How could he be glad to see the thing that almost, though indirectly, killed them?

"Aw, you can't be mad at him," cooed Zoey, "He is just a puppy." She bent down to scratch the dog. The dog enjoyed this and rolled over on his back so that Zoey might scratch it.

"Let's give him a name," said Louis.

"How about 'Little Shit?'" asked Francis. He wasn't too keen of the idea. He had a sinking feeling that this meant that they were keeping him.

"That's horrible!" said Zoey, clearly not understanding Francis's track of mind.

"How about Lee?" suggested Bill.

"Lee?"

"Yeah, he kind of reminds me of my dog I had as a kid," said Bill. "He was a hell of a friend, Lee. Always gettin into trouble, but always there. Loyal."

"Lee it is then," said Louis. Francis scowled.

"Well, shall we get going?" asked Bill. "We shouldn't stay in one place for too long."

The rest of the group agreed, and they headed towards Brooks Street. The street was littered with vacated cars and discarded bikes. People left their cars behind in a panic when the virus hit. The survivors passed by many stores along the way; there was a clothing store, some restaurants, a stationary store, and a hardware store.

"Maybe there's something useful in here," said Francis. He slammed the butt of his gun into the window and hoped in.

"Uh, Francis, the door was unlocked," said Louis as he pushed the handle of the front entrance.

The group spent quite a while in that store. Bill had disappeared into the back with several armfuls of supplies. He came back with a backpack bursting at the seams with metal tubes.

"What are those?" asked Zoey.

"Pipe bombs," said Bill. He looked awfully pleased with himself.

"Pipe bombs?? We get to blow shit up??" Francis asked. Suddenly Bill became his new favorite person.

"We get to blow those zombies up. Each pipe bomb is equipped with a red light and a beeper. I figured that since those things are attracted to noise, they'll run for them," explained Bill.

"Makes sense," said Zoey.

"How'd you build these things?" asked Louis.

"Let's just say that there were a lot of things I learned in the army that I wasn't supposed to," said Bill. He refused to comment any further on the subject.

The group departed from the store and continued down to King Avenue. There sat the weapons shop in all of its glory. The only problem was that there was also a horde waiting there for them. Lee started to growl.

"Shut up Lee!" whispered Francis. He was not about to let that dog get them killed.

"How many more of them are there?" asked Louis in disbelief. "I mean, we killed SO MANY already."

"All of Gallagher City plus this place, man," said Francis.

"Jesus Christ," muttered Louis. That air rescue wasn't getting any closer, it seemed.

Before they could raise their guns to aim, someone coughed. Then someone wheezed.

"Who the hell is hacking up a lung?" Bill whispered.

"You mean that wasn't you?" asked Louis.

"Of course it wasn't me, dumbass," Bill said angrily. "If it was me, I wouldn't be asking!"

"It sounded like a smoker's cough, that's why I was asking," assumed Louis.

"OH MY GOD!"

Bill, Louis and Francis spun around to see Zoey being dragged away from them by a long pink rope.

"HELP ME!" screamed Zoey. She was thrashing her arms and legs in circles trying to escape. Louis's eyes followed the rope up to the top of an antique shop. That was when he realized that it wasn't a rope. On the other end was a tall and skinny zombie. Half of its face looked like it was melting off. His long tongue was the thing that was now dangling Zoey a few feet off the ground. Lee was jumping up and down on his hind legs and barking at the zombie that was up on the room.

"SHOOT IT OR SOMETHING!" Zoey yelled.

"We've got another problem!" yelled Bill. All of the noise caught the attention of the horde, and they were running straight towards them.

_This would be a perfect weapons test, _thought Bill. He pulled on of the pipe bombs out of the backpack and a lighter out of his pocket. He lit the fuse.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he yelled. He threw it over the horde. The zombies spun around and chased after the beeping pipe bomb. The sound of the beeping got faster and faster until there was an explosion. The street was now filled with a red mist.

Meanwhile, Francis started shooting at the zombie that was strangling Zoey. Louis ran up to her and was desperately trying to unravel the tongue from her neck. Just as Zoey fell to the ground, Francis put the final bullet into the zombie, and it turned into a puff of green smoke.

"They work!" shouted Bill. It has been many years since he ever tried to build one of those, but he did it.

"What…the…hell was that…thing?" gasped Zoey.

"Don't know, but it's gone now," said Louis as he helped Zoey onto her feet.

"The path to the weapons shop is cleared fellas," said Bill.

The group walked in through the front door of the shop. Guns lined the walls and there were shelves upon shelves of boxes full of bullets.

"Automatic rifles over here!" yelled Zoey. "Hunting rifle and auto shotgun too."

"Let's grab those," said Bill. "They'll help us out more than what we got now."

"Grab as much as you can, everybody," said Francis. "Never know when we'll find more."

After their little looting spree of the weapons shop, the group went across the street to the gas station.

"Finally, we're here," said Bill. "I'm on my last cigarette. Was starting to get a little worried there."

Louis rolled his eyes.

"Everybody better stock up on first aid supplies," said Zoey.

The group wandered around inside the mini-mart of the station. Francis was staring at the beer and wine bottles.

"You aren't thinking of drinking your problems away now, are you?" Louis asked. That was the last thing they needed right now.

"Nah, I just was thinkin," said Francis. "I might grab a few of these and some rags."

"Francis!" shouted Louis, "You're a genius!"

"You're not as stupid as you look," remarked Bill.

"You guys?" said Zoey. "Hush for a second."

Everyone stayed quiet. They could hear very faint crying.

"Shit, someone's still alive!" said Francis. "We gotta find 'em!"

Louis grabbed a flashlight, and the group started to move towards the sound. They walked out of the front door and around to the back where the gas station's bathrooms were located. The crying was getting louder and louder.

"Hey guys, where's Lee?" asked Zoey.

"Zoey, this is not the time!" said Louis.

"It's coming from the women's side," observed Bill.

He very gently pushed open the door. A red glow could faintly be seen. In the middle of that glow sat a blonde woman. She had her head down.

"Hello? Miss?" asked Louis.

"Turn that light off!" Bill whispered.

"What, why?" Louis asked. Were they not going to help her?

"Look at her hands, she isn't one of us," Bill said. It was true. Her hands were very large and fanned out. Her fingernails had turned into very sharp claws.

"Louis, turn the light off, she's getting up!" whimpered Zoey. The blonde zombie was on her feet and growling. Louis dropped the light. The zombie let out an ear-piercing scream and began to run towards him. With one swipe of her hand he was down, and she began to shred him.

"SHOOT IT!" yelled Zoey. She and Bill and Francis open fired upon the zombie until she fell onto her knees.

Francis walked over to Louis. "Come on man, get your ass up." He pulled Louis up onto his feet. He was bleeding badly.

"We should get somewhere safe to patch up," said Zoey.

"There's a bank just up the street," said Bill. He looked down upon the blonde haired zombie.

"She looks like a witch," said Zoey.

Francis and Zoey each took one of Louis's arms around their shoulders as they made their way to the bank. They got inside when they heard a grunt.

"Hold on," said Bill. He walked around the corner. There was another one of those giant blobs.

"Boomer!" shouted Francis.

"Is that what we're calling them now?" Louis asked weakly.

Bill grabbed his gun and shot one bullet right into its stomach. Intestines and blood streamed everywhere.

"That takes care of that then I guess," said Zoey. "Let's get you inside and patch you up Louis, you look like hell."


End file.
